NCJ Number
194446
Journal
Journal of Child Sexual Abuse Volume: 9 Issue: 3/4 Dated: 2001 Pages: 157-182
Date Published
2001
Length
26 pages
Annotation
This article is a literature review of the research excluded from consideration in Rind, Tromovitch, and Bauserman's "A Meta-analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples."
Abstract
A critique of the research relied upon by Rind, Tromovitch and Bauserman's (Rind et al.) in their 1998 work "A Meta-analytic Examination of Assumed Properties of Child Sexual Abuse Using College Samples". The article presents eight findings regarding child sexual abuse suggested by the research overlooked by Rind, et al. that are in conflict with the findings of Rind et al. The findings identified through the review of alternative research literature include: 1) children sustain physical harm during sexual relations with adults; 2) children who have sexual relations with adults sustain mental health and behavioral harm; 3) child sexual abuse is sometimes violent; 4) children who experience involvement in sexual conduct including sexual abuse and other forms of sexual exploitation experience a loss of boundaries between childhood and adolescence; 5) unhealthy sexual behavior exhibited by young adults may suggest a history of child sexual abuse; 6) neutral language in describing child sexual abuse is employed to diminish or remove adult responsibility for harm to children during child sexual abuse; 7) consent or willingness by the child are used to diminish or remove ethical concerns for adults involved in child sexual contact; and 8) more statistical research is needed to produce a true outcomes review of child sexual abuse. The authors conclude that based upon their review of the available child sexual abuse literature, the Rind et al. study was unduly narrow and the research findings were invalid. 1 notes, 154 references